Rami has been a family doctor in France for 11 years. He has a small practice in a village in the Gers, near the French town of Auch. “Six years ago I set up as a private doctor in a small town. Since I was born in the region, I knew the mayor of the town well. And when he offered to pay the rent for my office, 550 euros, I didn’t hesitate,” the health professional tells the French media outlet Le Figaro.
Before having his own business, Rami worked as a salaried employee in a consult with four other colleagues: Two of them were general practitioners and the other two were specialists. However, the job did not suit him, so he decided to leave it to set up his own practice.
“Now I work every day, from 9 in the morning to 6 or 7 in the afternoon. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, my patients can see me without an appointment“, explains the doctor to the French media in an interview.
Better quality of life
According to Rami in this interview, since he set up his own business, his quality of life has improved considerably: “I have free evenings and weekends, and I can enjoy my family and friends. It wasn’t like that before: I often finished my work day after 8 in the afternoon…” he says.
The negative part, in his opinion, is that the patients are less varied. “In my previous consultation, I saw children, adolescents, workers and the elderly. Now, 80% of my patients are retirees. So the diseases I treat tend to recur,” summarizes the professional.
How has your salary changed?
Regarding salary, Rami says that now that he is the owner of his practice he receives less income: “I work between 40 and 45 hours a week and earn about 7,300 euros per monthafter taxes“, he points out and adds that they are some 1,000 euros less than when he was an employee of the large medical practice.
However, according to him, his remuneration could increase considerably if he took less vacation and optimized his appointments.
“Nowadays I see between 15 and 18 patients a day. My consultation costs 26.50 euros. I could see more patients, but that’s not how I see my job. I like to take my time with my patients. It is something that I consider important, especially when it comes to the elderly. I don’t want to rush them”, he states.
Since he does not pay rent, Rami only has to pay, in addition to taxes, the costs of water, electricity and his computer programs. “I recently opted for a remote secretarial service that takes care of booking my appointments. It costs me about 500 euros a month, but it saves me from having to interrupt my consultations with phone calls”, he confesses to the French media.
In France, according to a study by the Directorate of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (DREES, its French acronym) in 2017, GPs generate an average of 92,000 euros billing per year. This figure varies considerably depending on the number of patients seen per day and the size and location of the practice.